Different types of containers, comprising a lid and a base, are used to hold and transport “takeout” food purchased at a restaurant. It is important that such containers are capable of preventing the leakage and/or spoilage of food during transport or temporary storage. Although there are typically seals between the lid and base, the seals are easily broken or disrupted accidentally by movement or handling. Some seals are formed by a planar surface in the lid contacting a planar surface in the base, such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,404. When the planar surface at which a seal is to be formed is a horizontal surface that is part of the base, it is easy for food residue to fall and stay on the surface, causing the seal between the lid and base to be disrupted or broken. This may in turn lead to distortion of the lid, which then causes another adjacent seal, if any, to be broken or disrupted. The seals can also become defective when the high temperature of hot food distorts the shape of the lid or base. Furthermore, the seals may be defective because the lid or base may have been distorted during manufacture, transport or storage under drastic fluctuation in temperature. As a result, the food held by the container, particularly any liquid or sauce, may leak out of the container and loses its freshness or even become spoiled quickly.